WCID: Don't invade winter people in winter, to start

Good afternoon.

My kids used to have an elementary school principal who, upon meeting a thousand students every morning as they bopped through the gate, would say something along the lines of, “Have a great day, or don’t - it’s up to you!”

As a dad of a few pretty privileged kids, I try to help them understand that the few frictions they do encounter are not usually something they can control, but that they can control how they respond to them.

There’s a lot that feels out of control right now — beyond the pale, even — though it’s obvious these trials are just another chapter in the story of how we got here, populated by predictable villains who’ve benefited from decades and centuries of decisions that sure feel like a mistake in hindsight.

It can make you feel depressed, stressed, anxious, and even paralyzed.

You’re here, though, because you are interested in combining with the rest of us to finally put those fuckers to rest. We prescribe the kind of actions that can absorb and even harness your anxiety.

Action over paralysis is one of our key Principles (more on that soon) and the entire intent of this weekly post, which almost 50,000 of you read and act on every week.

Thanks for giving a shit. Let’s go.

— Quinn

Look: what’s being done in Minnesota right now is a terribly perfect opportunity to learn how to fight for something and fight back against bad guys, at the same time. Learn, apply, adapt, pass it on. Rinse and repeat.

There’s a LOT of fine folks and organizations managing mutual aid in and around Minneapolis right now and that’s fucking awesome. We made a team decision not to list them all in the app, or here, but you can held hold off the American Gestapo with the two orgs below.

Donate to CANDO (Central Area Neighborhood Development Organization)

Immigrant families are being terrorized by ICE and sheltering in place — they can’t go to work, school, the doctor, whatever. No matter where you are, you can be a good neighbor and help them get food, diapers, and rent support.

Donate to or volunteer with the Community Aid Network MN

These grassroots friends organize and distribute ground-level supplies. If you’re nearby, give them a ring and ask what they need (including volunteers). If you’re not, you can always donate cash (and anger — lots and lots of anger).

💫 EXTRA CREDIT

Call your senators and insist they vote against any appropriations funding for ICE and the DHS at-large.

Yes, they’ve got a slush fund. No, this doesn’t do away with it. But it’s a valuable step, and everything we can do is meaningful. Huge thanks to everyone who’s called so far.

☎️ Call now (takes less than a minute).

All profits go to the ACLU.

Once upon a time we had a jobs board like this but holy hell, we did not have the hands (insert “I need hands!” gif) to keep up with it.

Which is why we’re so thankful for 80,000 Hours and probably why it’s so popular every month, all over the world.

👉 Check out their totally free, research-based guide to doing better better right here.

Fan of your private information staying private? You know, not accessible to DHS/ICE or any of those bastards?

Great, great. Us too. Good news: LOTS of you are using WCID to call your US senators and demand they support the “Fourth Amendment is Not For Sale Act”.

It’s not perfect, but it’s a start — it says law enforcement can’t obtain subscriber or customer records in exchange for anything of value — which is exactly what they’ve been doing lately.

☎️ Call now (takes less than a minute).

Are you someone who likes travel and AI’s definitely not going to replace anytime soon because unlike me you actually have real-world experience and skills building stuff? Like, say, infrastructure in the Global South?

Then friend, do I have an opportunity for you — and which hundreds of other friends have checked out in the past month. It’s called Engineers Without Borders, and — in partnership with over 40 other recognized global orgs — they operate (and need your specific set of skills) in places like Malawi, Peru, Uganda, and many more.

👉 Check out where you can make a hands-on impact here.

If there was a new medical condition that was going to inevitably affect about 50% of the global population, and for most of their adult lives…we would talk about it right? Research it? A little?

Well well well, wait until you hear about menopause! No, truly — you should hear about menopause in my delightful convo with Jennifer Gerson, reporter at The 19th.

Normalize the conversation by starting with our conversation and then sharing it as wide as you can, because the impact doesn’t get wider, really.

💫 BONUS POINTS:

👉 Check out The Menopause Society to find a doctor for you or a loved one who actually understands perimenopause and menopause. Fun!

That’s it. Take care of each other out there.

And thank you — as always — for giving a shit.

— Quinn